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Travelers: Beware of hidden hotel fees that could hit you in the wallet

Before you check into that hotel, check out the charges. Taking a page from the airline industry, hotels are "nickel and diming" their customers — and that getaway may cost you a whole lot more. Think $20, $30 or even $80 for a hotel resort fee. One Virginia hotel makes you pay for parking — whether you brought a car or not. And guests may feel robbed over that charge for the in-room safe th

Before you check into that hotel, check out the charges. 

Taking a page from the airline industry, hotels are "nickel and diming" their customers — and that getaway may cost you a whole lot more. 

Think $20, $30 or even $80 for a hotel resort fee. One Virginia hotel makes you pay for parking — whether you brought a car or not. And guests may feel robbed over that charge for the in-room safe that they didn't use. 

This year, hotels will take in a record $2.25 billion in revenue from such add-ons, 6 percent more than in 2013 and nearly double that of a decade ago, the Associated Press reports

Resort fees are often bundled to provide better value and guests receive full disclosure of fees at the time of booking, says Ken Shanely, founder and CEO of Hotel Connections. "Pretty much embrace it," he says. 

Since such fees might be here to stay, travel writer Barbara DeLollis offers this tip. "Research, even call, and once you call a hotel and ask, 'Will you charge me an extra fee?' Get the person's name down, so that you have that information once you go."